Security News
A crook who stole more than 50,000 Bitcoins from the dark web souk Silk Road in 2012 has pleaded guilty and lost the lot, with a stretch behind bars likely ahead of him. James Zhong, 32, admitted committing wire fraud in September 2012 by creating nine Silk Road accounts he used to trigger "Over 140 transactions in rapid succession in order to trick Silk Road's withdrawal-processing system," the US Department of Justice said Monday.
Separately, charges slapped on alleged operator of dark market, The Real Deal Mark Sokolovsky, 26, a Ukrainian national, is being held in the Netherlands while he awaits extradition to America on...
Today's requirements [PDF] stem from US President Joe Biden's cybersecurity executive order from May 2021, which was in response to the SolarWinds disaster and other high-profile software supply chain meddling. This is essentially a guarantee from the vendor that their product meets minimum NIST standards for secure software development.
Federal investigators and private companies seized $30 million in cryptocurrency stolen in March by North Korean-linked APT gang Lazarus Group from a video game developer, the latest example of the growing skills of government and cybersecurity experts to track and recover such ill-gotten gains. Plante also said she expects more stolen cash to be clawed back from North Korean groups.
Zeppelin ransomware is back and employing new compromise and encryption tactics in its recent campaigns against various vertical industries-particularly healthcare-as well as critical infrastructure organizations, the feds are warning. Zeppelin also appears to have a new multi-encryption tactics, executing the malware more than once within a victim's network and creating different IDs and file extensions for multiple instances attack, according to the CISA. "This results in the victim needing several unique decryption keys," according to the advisory.
The Feds have put up a $10 million reward for information about foreign interference in US elections in general, and more specifically a Russian oligarch and close friend of President Vladimir Putin accused of funding an organization that meddled in the 2016 presidential elections. The bounty, offered through the US Department of State's Rewards for Justice program, specifically seeks intel on Russia's Internet Research Agency, businessman Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, and any "Linked Russian entities and associates for their engagement in US election interference."
The US government is reportedly investigating Kraken, a massive cryptocurrency exchange suspected of violating sanctions against Iran, and is expected to slap the crypto behemoth with a fine in the near future. Allowing users in Iran to buy and sell tokens would put Kraken in violation of the sanctions, which has drawn the attention of federal investigators, the Times reported, citing five people affiliated with the company or with knowledge of the inquiry.
The U.S. government ordered two travel companies to provide information about the movement of a Russian citizen suspected of hacking. The surveillance data was used as part of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, according to court documents recently unsealed.
US law enforcement has shut down another dark web market, seizing and dismantling SSNDOB, a site dealing in stolen personal information. Prior to the takedown, SSNDOB reportedly had 24 million individuals' records available for purchase, which it regularly advertised on dark web forums.
Uncle Sam will dole out up to $10 million for vital information on each of six Russian GRU officers linked to the Kremlin-backed Sandworm gang, who, according to the Feds, have plotted to carry out destructive cyber-attacks against American critical infrastructure. It's hoped the money, offered via the US Department of State's Rewards for Justice program, will lead to the snaring of the following men said to be Russian intelligence officers: Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko, Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov, Pavel Valeryevich Frolov, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, Artem Valeryevich Ochichenko, and Petr Nikolayevich Pliskin.